Parish councillors have objected to "premature" plans to build 970 new homes and a community centre in Balsall Common.

Harris Strategic Land and Colchurch Properties has applied for planning permission for the new village neighbourhood on green space between Station Road and Waste Lane.

The scheme - put forward to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) - would introduce a local centre including a care home/retirement accommodation, community buildings, a primary school and a pre-school.

Up to 40 per cent of the units on the 28-hectare site will be provided as affordable, which comes to 369 homes.

But Balsall Parish Council has objected to the application saying the green belt land should not be developed on and point out the new local plan is yet to be completed.

"Very Special Circumstances for developing within the green belt have not been convincingly evidenced other than the present absence of a five-year land supply," the objection says.

"The draft Solihull Local Plan has not been adopted therefore any proposed strategic land allocation is not valid."

The review of the plan by the planning inspectorate plan was paused earlier this year by SMBC "to enable the finalised version of the National Planning Policy Framework to be published" this spring.

If approved, the site would feature a range of housing types from one-bedroom apartments to larger four-bedroom detached houses.

The masterplan for the site (image via planning application)

Public space for a convenience store, a café, a leisure centre and a doctor's surgery is included in the plans.

Several new roads would be built including a T-junction off Station Road and a reconfigured Station Road/Hallmeadow Road roundabout to allow access.

But the council also said the new access road was not up to scratch.

"Station Road is a width restricted road," the objection added.

"Access is proposed part way down a hill opposite a busy pub and close to the Hall Meadow Road roundabout.

"Presently cars park on the hill to go to the pub or as overflow parking for Berkswell railway station and Brickyard Close.

"Station Road is already busy and this will only increase."

See the full application here.